Bergstein
1
David
Bergstein
Byzantine
Art
Professor
Ricci
The
Mese:
Main
Street
of
Constantinople
THE
CENTER
OF
THE
CITY
Imagine
the
main
street
of
your
own
town,
the
center
of
your
home
city.
There
are
shops
and
restaurants,
markets
and
amusement
centers,
bustling
activity
and
the
crowds
of
people.
Just
like
modern
urban
centers,
Byzantine
Constantinople
had
a
main
street,
known
as
the
mese.
In
fact,
the
word
mese
means
literally
“middle
road,”
indicating
the
centrality
of
this
street
(Kazhdan).
Cutting
through
virtually
the
entire
city,
the
mese
was
the
main
avenue
of
traffic
running
through
or
alongside
almost
every
major
monument
and
gathering
space
of
civic
importance.
And
just
like
the
main
streets
of
today,
the
mese
was
more
than
just
a
Image
1
The
Mese
of
Constantinople
www.newworldencyclopedia.org/
entry/Constantinople
road
–
it
was
also
the
center
of
economic
and
social
activity,
surrounded
by
porticoes,
or
colonnaded
shopping
centers.
An
examination
of
this
monument
Bergstein
2
provides
both
a
greater
understanding
of
daily
life
in
Byzantium,
as
well
as
a
more
unified,
comprehensive
picture
of
the
city
of
Constantinople.
URBAN
GEOGRAPHY
AND
HISTORY
Approximately
25
meters
wide,
the
mese
began
at
the
Milion
Stone,
located
in
the
Augusteon
Square
outside
of
the
present
day
Hagia
Sophia,
and
extended
west
past
the
edges
of
the
Hippodrome,
the
Palaces
of
Lausos
and
Antiochus,
through
the
Forum
of
Constantine
and
the
Forum
of
Theodosius.
Shortly
after
passing
through
the
Constantinian
Capitolium
the
road
bifurcated,
with
one
branch
running
northwest
and
ending
at
the
Gate
of
Polyandri
at
the
Theodosian
Walls,
and
the
other
(more
important)
route
heading
southwest,
passing
through
the
Forums
of
Bovis
and
Arcadius
before
ending
at
the
ceremonial
Golden
Gate,
where
it
joined
the
Via
Egnatia,
the
main
road
of
the
Roman
Empire
(Kuban
35.)
Some
early
form
of
the
mese
probably
existed
in
the
pre‐Constantinople
Roman
settlement
established
by
Septimus
Severus
as
an
extension
of
the
Via
Egnatia.
The
Via
Egnatia
was
the
main
road
of
the
Eastern
Roman
Empire,
which
wound
through
Greece
and
then
eventually
connected
to
the
then
small
settlement
of
Byzantium.
However,
the
mese
of
Constantinople
can
be
dated
to
the
founding
of
the
city
itself
in
330
A.D
(Kuban
72).
In
addition
to
its
centrality,
running
virtually
along
the
“spine”
of
the
city
through
almost
every
major
monument
and
public
space,
the
importance
of
the
mese
can
also
be
seen
in
relation
to
other
lesser
road
networks
of
the
city.
Relying
on
excavations
completed
in
the
1930s
by
von
Gerkan
and
Olof
Dalman,
Albrecht
Bergstein
3
Borger
was
also
able
to
establish
the
comparative
centrality
and
importance
of
the
mese
by
studying
the
road
layout
of
Constantinople
(Berger
162).
The
three
other
“major
roads”
identified
by
Berger,
“appear
to
radiate
from
a
single
point”
forming
a
more
or
less
rectangular
pattern
of
urban
pathways
(Berger
165).
In
contrast,
the
“only
major
street
that
does
not
fit…is
the
main
street,”
which
cut
through
the
street
pattern
at
a
rectangular
angle
(Berger
165).
Thus,
similar
to
the
large
modern
thoroughfares
of
Pennsylvania
Avenue
Image
2
Road
Patterns
of
Constantinople
Berger,
Albrecht.
“Streets
and
Public
Spaces
in
Constantinople.”
Dumbarton
Oaks
Papers,
Vol.
54,
(2000).
Dumbarton
Oaks,
Trustees
for
Harvard
University.
in
Washington
D.C.
or
5th
Avenue
in
New
York
City,
the
mese
distinguished
itself
from
lesser
streets
both
in
it’s
size
and
through
a
conscientious
disruption
of
the
normal
traffic
pattern.
WHAT
THE
MESE
LOOKED
LIKE,
THE
ECONOMIC
AND
CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE
The
defining
feature
of
the
mese
was
the
colonnaded
porticoes
that
surrounded
it.
These
porticoes,
which
were
essentially
large
covered
walkways
that
extended
perpendicular
to
street
on
both
sides,
were
filled
with
shops
and
other
commercial
enterprises,
indicating
that
the
mese
served
as
the
center
of
the
city’s
economic
Bergstein
4
activity.
In
addition
to
“providing
a
number
of
urban
amenities,
these
[porticoes]
created
a
visually
rich
urban
atmosphere,
where
the
noise
and
bustle
of
the
crowds
must
have
resembled
our
own
modern
shopping
malls”
(Kurban
44).
The
Makros
Embolos
(another
street
that
ran
north
from
the
mese)
connected
a
section
of
the
mese
to
the
harbors
and
trading
centers
of
the
Golden
Horn,
further
adding
to
the
commercial
significance
of
the
street
(Khazdan).
Finally,
the
major
forums
and
gathering
spaces
bisected
by
the
mese
would
have
inevitably
contained
business
activities,
market
areas
and
other
economic
enterprises.
It
is
not
clear
whether
these
forums
were
also
a
source
of
commercial
competition,
diverting
activity
from
the
mese,
or
Image
3
Porticoed
Road
of
St.
Peters
Square
Angelika
Stern.
Royalty
Free,
Getty
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88
657137
whether
they
were
merely
complimentary.
In
all
likelihood,
the
primary
purpose
of
the
fora
was
as
a
gathering
space
for
demonstrations,
hangings,
and
other
social
events,
complimented
by
the
minor
commercial
activities
that
inevitably
accompany
large
groups
of
people,
while
the
mese
itself
remained
the
primary
economic
space.
The
porticoed
street
was
itself
not
a
new
invention.
A
similar
colonnaded
road,
named
the
“Great
Colonade”
was
discovered
in
the
city
of
Palmyra,
in
present‐day
Syria,
and
dates
to
the
3rd
or
2nd
millennium
(Baranski
4).
A
similar
ancient
road,
flanked
by
colonnades
was
found
in
the
ancient
Syrian
town
of
Apamea,
dating
from
the
same
time
period
(Balty
Plate
X).
Bergstein
5
In
addition
to
the
economic
activity,
the
mese
was
also
the
social
artery
of
Constantinople.
Connecting
virtually
every
major
monument,
public
space,
bath,
market,
monastery
and
church,
the
mese
centralized
and
ordered
the
social
and
cultural
life
of
the
city’s
inhabitants.
In
comparison
to
the
sprawling
metropolis
of
today’s
Istanbul,
it
is
easy
to
imagine
that
daily
life
for
the
average
Byzantine
citizen
was
clustered
around
this
avenue.
It
was
undoubtedly
a
place
to
see
and
be
seen,
the
place
where
news
was
delivered
and
transmitted,
and
defined
which
spaces
and
areas
were
deemed
cultural
superior
and
relevant.
THE
IMPERIAL
SYMBOLISM
In
addition
to
its
economic
and
cultural
importance,
the
mese
was
also
a
tool
to
convey
imperial
power.
The
physical
element
of
this
symbolism
was
the
continuation
of
the
Via
Egnatia
(the
main
road
of
the
Empire),
demonstrating
the
connection
between
Constantinople
and
the
larger
Byzantine
or
Roman
Empire.
By
connecting
the
Via
Egnatia
to
the
mese,
Byzantine
emperors
expressed
the
shift
in
Imperial
Power
from
Rome
to
Constantinople,
as
well
as
physically
tying
the
city
into
the
geography
of
the
empire.
However,
more
significant
than
this
was
the
triumphal
procession
down
the
mese
undertaken
by
Byzantine
Emperors
who
achieved
military
victories.
As
the
Emperor
marched
from
the
Golden
Gate
to
the
Sacred
Palace,
all
the
while
displaying
the
victories
and
spoils
of
their
latest
conquests,
the
commoners
of
the
city
were
apparently
expected
to
pack
themselves
alongside
the
mese
in
order
to
witness
the
Bergstein
6
ostentatious
display
of
Imperial
power.
In
this
way,
the
mese
itself
was
turned
into
a
tool
to
glorify
the
power
of
the
Emperor
(Mango
174).
Sadly,
much
of
the
architecture
of
Byzantium
has
been
lost
to
us
today,
as
Constantinople
became
Istanbul,
and
as
Istanbul
became
a
modern
city.
However,
a
large
section
of
the
mese
survives
under
the
Ottoman
name
Divan
Yolu,
meaning
literally
court
road.
By
walking
along
the
Divan
Yolu
(or
taking
the
Zeytiburnu
Kabata
Tram),
modern
day
visitors
to
the
city
can
literally
walk
in
the
footsteps
of
the
inhabitants
of
Constantinople.
Starting
at
the
Million
Stone
and
heading
westward,
the
Divan
Yolu
faithfully
follows
the
mese’s
path
until
it
reaches
Beyazit
Square,
and
provides
a
enjoyable
(and
historical)
method
for
visitors
to
explore
the
ancient
city.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Alexander
Kazhdan
"Mese"
The
Oxford
Dictionary
of
Byzantium.
Ed.
Alexander
P.
Kazhdan.
©
1991,
2005
by
Oxford
University
Press,
Inc..
The
Oxford
Dictionary
of
Byzantium:
(e‐reference
edition).
Oxford
University
Press.
Koc
University.
2
December
2009
http://0‐www.oxford‐
byzantium.com.libunix.ku.edu.tr:80/entry?entry=t174.e3483.
a. A
basic
explanation
of
the
Mese,
its
function,
geography
and
significance.
2. Hennessy,
Cecily,
"Topography
of
Constantinople."
The
Oxford
Handbook
of
Byzantine
Studies.
Ed.
Elizabeth
Jeffreys,
John
Haldon,
Robert
Cormack.
Pp.
202
–
216.
a. How
the
Mese
connected
to
other
buildings
in
the
city
of
Constantinople,
the
geography
of
the
Mese,
ceremonial
purposes.
3. Dogan
Kuban,
“Elements
of
the
Urban
Physiognomy,”
Istanbul,
An
Urban
History:
Byzantion,
Constantinopolis,
Istanbul
(Istanbul:
Economic
and
Social
History
Foundation
of
Turkey,
1996),
Pp.
72
–
90.
a. History
of
the
Mese
and
the
relationship
to
the
Via
Egnatia,
commercial
elements
of
the
city,
descriptive
imagination
of
the
importance
of
the
Mese.
4. Berger,
Albrecht.
“Streets
and
Public
Spaces
in
Constantinople.”
Dumbarton
Bergstein
7
Oaks
Papers,
Vol.
54,
(2000),
pp.
161
–
172.
Dumbarton
Oaks,
Trustees
for
Harvard
University.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291837.
a. Empirical
attempted
reconstruction
of
the
public
spaces
and
road
structure
of
the
City
of
Constantiople
and
Byzantium,
extensive
discussion
of
the
Mese
in
relationship
to
standard
road
structure
of
the
city.
5. Mango,
Cyril.
“The
Triumphal
Way
of
Constantinople
and
the
Golden
Gate.”
Dumbarton
Oaks
Papers,
Vol.
54
(2000),
pp.
173
–
188.
Dumbarton
Oaks,
Trustees
for
Harvard
University.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291838
a. The
Triumphal
Celebration
of
returning
Byzantine
Emperors,
the
Mese’s
role
in
this
ceremony,
variations
on
the
ceremony’s
road
map
depending
on
time
and
circumstance
to
incorporate
or
not
incorporate
certain
gates
and
roads.
6. Baranski,
Marek.
“Re‐Discovery
of
Palmyra.”
United
Nations
Educational,
Scientific
and
Cultural
Organization.
Paper
presented
at
the
International
Congress
on
World
Heritage
Sites.
September
2001.
http://www.unesco.org/archi2000/pdf/baranski.pdf
7. Balty,
Jean
Ch.
“Apamea
in
the
Second
and
Third
Centuries
A.D.”
The
Journal
of
Roman
Studies.
Vol.
78,
(1988),
pp.
91
–
104.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/301452